Modern Numismatics

Louis Golino

Louis Golino has been a collector of American and world coins since childhood and has written about coins since 2009. In addition to writing about modern coins and other numismatic issues for Coin World, he writes a monthly column for The Numismatist magazine and has written for other coin publications. In 2017, for “Liberty Centennial Designs,” in Elemetal Direct, he was presented with the Numismatic Literary Guild's award for best article in a non-numismatic publication. He is also a founding member of the Modern Coin Forum.

Eternal Sculptures: Cupid and Psyche

This week I would like to bring to your attention
the third release for 2016 from Power Coin (www.PowerCoin.it), the Italian
coin company that has partnered with Coin Invest Trust and B.H. Mayer
to issue some very impressive and original world coins under the
authority of the Pacific island nation of Palau.

This one is the first of a new series called
“Eternal Sculptures,” that will showcase important works of sculpture,
starting with the famous piece, Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss, which
was made in the latter years of the 18th century and is
masterpiece of neoclassical art by Antonio Canova. It shows two
lovers in a moment of great passion and emotion, and it resides in the
Louvre Museum in Paris.

Considered perhaps the greatest neoclassical artist
ever, Canova (1757-1822) was an Italian sculptor who produced amazing
marble sculptures. Although he viewed his art as above politics and
greatly valued his independence, he eventually agreed to receive
commissions from Napoleon Bonaparte, who admired his work, after
pressure from the Vatican, though he had spurned similar offers from
Czarina Catherine II.

New application of SmartMinting: “flip and see from
both sides”

Made of two ounces of silver but with a diameter of
38.61 millimeters, this piece utilizes the extra thickness in
combination with CIT’s SmartMinting technique to allow the coin to
show the sculpture from both sides in high relief.

In addition, the statue on both sides has been
treated with the marble paint that is also on the Guy Fawkes coin and
also has the same black proof background as the other coin, which
creates a more distinct contrast between the design devices and
background than would be possible with a regular mirrored silver finish.

The result is a beautiful coin, the first ever to
show this particular work of art, and the first to my knowledge to
show a statue on a coin from more than one perspective. The date is
inscribed in roman numerals, as it would be on the statue itself, and
other inscriptions are done in a way to minimize their intrusion on
the design. Plus, the Palau shield is kept small, and there is an
ornate inner border that complements the composition of the coin’s design.

Only 999 of these coins will be made, and they are
expected to ship around late October. The piece can be ordered
directly from Power Coin, or from The Coin Shoppe (www.TheCoinShoppe.ca) or First
Coin Company (www.FirstCoinCompany.com),
for 229 euros or the equivalent in other currencies.